Aria Elsezy-Young, Director of Talent Development at Morgan Properties, joined us on the podcast to talk about her journey from hospitality to real estate, the transformative trends she’s seeing in L&D, and how her team is future-proofing development with a blend of heart, structure, and innovation. With a national footprint and 2,500 employees (and growing), Morgan Properties is deeply invested in helping team members grow their careers—and Aria is right at the center of that work. 

The Path to L&D: From Courtyard to Career Development

Aria’s L&D story began, fittingly, with a front desk and a whole lot of hustle. Starting her career at Marriott’s Courtyard hotels, she found herself juggling roles, operations, communications, customer service, and, yes, training. Those lightbulb moments she created for her team sparked something deeper. She wanted to help people grow full-time.

So, she went back to school to earn her master’s in Organizational Development and Adult Learning from St. Joseph’s University. That credential helped open doors at Marriott’s corporate office, where she trained nationally across multiple brands. Eventually, she landed at Morgan Properties, where she first joined to help build out foundational programs. Today, she leads a team of instructional designers and facilitators, crafting leadership academies, mentorship programs, and professional development pathways that span the company.

Changes That Have Impacted L&D: Reskilling Over Ladders

When asked about the biggest shift in L&D in recent years, Aria zeroed in on reskilling, not just helping employees level up in their current path, but empowering them to pivot to completely new ones. She sees it happening across Morgan Properties, whether its administrative staff transitioning into project management or operations pros moving into L&D roles.

The key? Credentials and partnerships. Aria’s team supports employees in leveraging certifications from NAA (National Apartment Association), ATD (Association for Talent Development), and internal initiatives like micro-certifications through Morgan University, their LMS platform. She describes a career path more like a jungle gym than a ladder—encouraging lateral moves, backward steps for long-term gain, and diagonal growth that matches both personal and professional goals.

This kind of movement, she says, allows employees to redefine success on their terms, and keeps the organization nimble in the face of change.

L&D in the Future: Competencies + AI = Career Mapping

Looking ahead, Aria believes competency-based learning will be the foundation of the future. Instead of job descriptions focused solely on tasks, she sees a shift toward skills and behaviors, things that can be measured, taught, and mapped. This shift allows her team to align learning paths directly to role competencies, giving employees a clear roadmap to whatever role they want next.